An emotionally-scarred former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog detailed the traumatizing experience he and his family went through after he found himself a ‘target’ of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s political vengeance.
Mabilog recounted his ordeal during his first public appearance at the House Quad Committee hearing on Thursday, September 19—nine days since he returned to the Philippines after his seven-year exile from the United States.
The former local government executive attended the inquiry in connection with the House of Representatives’ ongoing investigation into the extrajudicial killings linked to the brutal drug war of the Duterte administration.
In his opening statement, Mabilog strongly denied allegations that he was a drug protector, noting the many anti-illegal drugs programs he implemented in Iloilo City, which earned recognitions from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), among other relevant organizations.
“It all began when, all of a sudden, my name was included in the PRRD ‘narco-list’ of the Duterte administration. A list of public officials who were accused of alleged ties to illegal drugs, all of which have been proven baseless,” he stated.
Mabilog explained that no cases were ever filed against him in Philippine courts related to illegal drugs. Despite his presumed innocence, however, Duterte went on to accuse him and other mayors publicly. It was then that he realized that the so-called ‘narco-list’ was actually a ‘hit list.’
“If you could look closely, the names of (Duterte’s) political enemies were included in the validated list of drug personalities. Despite the questionable data, there was no validation done by the agencies under Malacañang,” according to the former mayor.
Unwilling to risk his and his family’s safety, Mabilog decided to flee the country after accepting a speaking engagement in Japan. He said he received information from concerned law enforcement officers not to return to the Philippines as “people were outside his house.”
“I was fortunate to have left the country through a speaking engagement in Japan. However, President Duterte has repeatedly threatened me in the media, saying that he wants me killed,” he told the lawmakers.
At this point, Mabilog turned emotional, recalling the traumatizing moments he and his family had to go through because of that information.
“It sent shivers down my spine, literally… The fear that had been simmering (has) now erupted. Soon after, my wife Marivic received a chilling text from a PNP Colonel’s wife: ‘Do not proceed. There are 20 men surrounding your house, and if you go to Camp Crame, they will kill you,’” he said.
Mabilog said he was informed that the drug charges were trumped up. He told lawmakers it was supposedly meant to pressure him into incriminating other individuals from the political opposition in the illegal drug trade.
“Do not return, your life is in danger. The accusations against you are all fabricated, but if you go to Crame, you’ll be forced to point fingers at an opposition senator and a former presidential candidate as drug lords,” according to Mabilog.
When asked what could have motivated the former president to resort to such intimidation, Mabilog could not think of any. He then told the lawmakers it must have been because Duterte got the lowest votes in Iloilo City during the 2016 elections.
Mabilog said it was never his intention to leave the Philippines for seven years. “I was saddened and in pain when I was forced to be away from my family, as well as my beloved town I promised to serve. Not because I was wrong, but because our lives were in danger,” he said.
“I wish that our sufferings, which broke us into persecution, trauma and nothingness, will never be experienced again. May truth prevail, and not the politics of the few,” the former mayor concluded his statement.
